What is Taekwondo?
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that combines dynamic kicking techniques, powerful hand strikes, fast footwork, and disciplined movements. Known for its explosive and athletic style, Taekwondo is both a traditional martial art and a modern Olympic combat sport, practiced by millions of people around the world.
At Five Lions Taekwondo, we teach World Taekwondo (WT) – the globally recognised Olympic-style Taekwondo. Our training follows official guidelines and grading structures as laid out by British Taekwondo and World Taekwondo, offering students authentic and structured martial arts education.
Olympic & Global Recognition 🏅
Taekwondo became an official Olympic sport in the 2000 Sydney Games and is governed by World Taekwondo, headquartered in South Korea. It is practiced in over 200 countries and is one of the most accessible and fast-growing martial arts in the world.
Key Features of Taekwondo
- 🥋 Kicking-Based Martial Art
Taekwondo is known for its emphasis on high, fast, and controlled kicks such as front kicks, side kicks, turning kicks, and spinning kicks.
- 💥 Full-Body Development
Students improve balance, speed, coordination, strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness.
- 🧠 Mental Growth
Practitioners learn discipline, focus, confidence, respect, and perseverance – values that benefit them in all areas of life.
- 🛡️ Self-Defence
Our training includes basic and advanced self-defence techniques suitable for real-life scenarios.
- 🥇 Sport & Competition
Taekwondo is a full-contact Olympic sport. Students can choose to train for fitness or prepare for local, national, and international competitions in sparring (kyorugi) and patterns (poomsae).
- 🧒 For All Ages & Abilities
Whether you're a beginner child, a teenager looking to compete, or an adult wanting to stay fit, Taekwondo offers something for everyone.
Benefits of Practising Taekwondo
- Improved fitness and body control
- Confidence and self-esteem boost
- Better focus and discipline (great for kids)
- A sense of achievement through belt progression
- Belonging to a positive and respectful community